Of Paper Rings and Forever Promises
by AnisaLee
Summary: Blaine's musings and preparation leading up to the now infamous missing scene from 3X09. Spoilers.


Blaine hummed as he popped another piece of gum into his mouth and placed the intact wrapper onto his side table. It joined a pile of other wrappers that Blaine had flattened and saved. He smiled in satisfaction as he looked at his collection.

Reaching out, he picked up a sheet of paper with directions. The idea had come to him after he had wandered by an outdoor flea market in Westerville a few weekends prior. A woman had set up a table with random items made from candy wrappers and colored paper. He had instantly fallen in love with the idea of candy wrapper memorabilia. There was something fun and unexpected about it. From a distance, the items looked as if they were just simply woven colors, but upon closer inspection, there were intricate details.

He let out a breath as he picked up one of the wrappers. His hope was that Kurt could see this gift the way he did. This gift wasn't only something that he was about to put his heart into, but it represented them – their relationship. The woven candy wrapper ring he was about to embark on making was complicated, intricate, fun, unexpected. It was just like them.

Blaine never expected to find someone like Kurt, especially in Ohio. He had always told himself that he would find love in college. Just because all his friends had numerous relationships over the years and he was left standing alone didn't mean that it was going to be like that forever. It was just something he tabled. It was a "just not now" thing. Yet, there was Kurt on that staircase so long ago. Unexpected and yet so wanted.

As they got to know each other, Blaine realized there were layers to Kurt that only Blaine got to see and vice versa. Just as this ring would have. People would only see part of the wrapper, never the whole thing. Like their relationship. Their friends saw the Kurt and Blaine that they wanted them to see. They didn't see the fights, the insecurities, the real them. No, their friends would never get to see how they were behind closed doors, when it was just Kurt and Blaine with the world shut out. When it was just the two of them, they could truly let their individual public façades down.

Each wrapper that was woven into the ring had its own façade. It was perfect and yet imperfect. Blaine chuckled to himself. Perfect and imperfect. Maybe that's why he and Kurt loved that Pink song so much. It had become their anthem over the summer. They were perfect for each other even though they weren't perfect people. They loved each other not despite of their flaws, but because of them. Blaine knew that his tendency to wear cropped pants without socks sometimes made Kurt cringe inside. Yet, Kurt would indulge him regardless.

The more Blaine twisted and folded the candy wrappers so that they started to mold into the beginning hints of a ring, the more he found himself in love with Kurt. The brunette had quickly become his, well, his everything in the past year. Kurt had started out as a boy that Blaine just wanted to help but became his friend, then his best friend, his confidant, his boyfriend, his love and now – as of late – his lover. The transition was almost flawless from one title to the next, except for that brief and disastrous relationship with Ms. Rachel Berry. That's how the ring was shaping up. The transition from one wrapper to the next was almost seamless. The Trident Layers wrapper seemed to meld into the Bubble Yum wrapper, which transitioned into the Extra wrapper.

Blaine sighed as he folded one of the wrappers just right; if they weren't folded just right, then they wouldn't fit into the intricate design. The folded papers had to be eased together, or else they wouldn't work. There was no forcing the pieces. Similarly, Blaine mused that his relationship with Kurt had to be eased. It took them a while to get to the point they were at, but it was worth it. Each step had to be taken slow until both of them were ready. When Kurt wanted to take that step from platonic to dating, Blaine wasn't on the same page. It took him a few months to sort out that his feelings for Kurt were so much more than friendly. When he had that ah-ha moment during Kurt's rendition of"Blackbird," it was like everything finally made sense. The cloud that had been fogging up his senses had finally cleared and he realized that Kurt Hummel was the person he had been looking for. Not Jeremiah or any other boy – Kurt and only Kurt. If Blaine had forced the relationship and tried to be Kurt's boyfriend when he wasn't ready, then their relationship would have ended up a crumpled mess of heartache and loneliness. Just like the ring. If he forced the wrappers together, they would end up wrinkled and ruined.

When Blaine had finally completed his task or creating a gum wrapper ring, he took a deep breath and nodded to himself. The ring may not have come from the Elizabeth Taylor jewelry collection like Kurt had wanted, but it had been crafted with the same precision and care that the diamonds and pearls in her necklaces had been set. He picked up the red box with the velvet lining and delicately placed the ring inside of it.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow he would give it to Kurt.

Tomorrow he would give Kurt his whole heart.

Tomorrow he would promise Kurt his love.

Tomorrow would be the start of a new part of their relationship.

Tomorrow he would give Kurt forever.


End file.
